Lectio Divina is an approach to the Scriptures that sets us up to listen for the Word of God spoken to us in the present moment. It is a practice that dates back to the early mothers and fathers of the Christian faith and is rooted in the belief that thru the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures are indeed alive and active and able to transform us as we engage them. The following practice has 5 progressions listed below. Take the scripture given to you and practice this form of meditation each day this week in order to feed on God’s Word and become energized and transformed by it.

Luke 1:46-55
Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Silence – Take a minute to relax. Close your eyes and allow yourself to become consciously aware of God’s presence. Now express your willingness to hear from God by saying something like: “Here I am” or “Come Lord Jesus”.

Lectio (divine reading) – This is a time for slow repetition of a particular text (Read 2- 5x) until you are familiar with every word. During each reading emphasize different words. Try not to analyze each word, that will come later. After doing so, pick out a smaller portion that particularly jumps out at you and repeat it slowly for a couple of minutes. Just allow the words to flow through you, speaking for themselves.

Meditation – Now take a period of time and reflect upon the text. This is not a time for study. But a time to ask prayerfully: God what are you saying to me through this text? Or what message does this have for my life? This should be a time for honest, personal reflection.

Oral Prayer – Following meditation, we want to respond to God’s invitation to us. This is an oral response to the encounter with God’s presence in the text. And it may take the form of confession, petition, intercession, or thanksgiving and praise.

Contemplation – Finally, this is the form of meditation where when you run out of words and you simply rest in God’s presence. In this resting or loving lingering with God, the mind and the heart begin to experience the God whom you have been seeking.